Framing Agnes

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2:03

Framing Agnes

2022

1h 15m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The pseudonymous Agnes was a pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender health study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. Her clever use of the study to gain access to gender-affirming healthcare led to her status as a fascinating and celebrated figure in trans history. In this innovative cinematic exercise that blends fiction and nonfiction, director Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) uses Agnes's story, along with others unearthed in long-shelved case files, to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed. Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, an all-star cast of trans performers, artists, and thinkers -- including Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Mrs. Fletcher), and Zackary Drucker (Transparent) -- take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans history. This collective reclamation breaks down the myth of isolation among transgender history-makers, breathing new life into a lineage of collaborators and conspirators who have been forgotten for far too long.

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Critics Consensus

Framing Agnes may be frustratingly uneven as a work of cinematic storytelling, but that's often outweighed by its thoughtful expansion of established historical narrative.

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

Dec 15, 2022

A fascinating, multidimensional, mosaic-like glimpse at transgender life from the 1950s to today as interpreted by — and through — a group of transmasculine and transfeminine performers and creatives and one uniquely impressive academic.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Dec 7, 2022

With only Garfinkel’s archives to go on, Drucker is able to give a sly, necessarily mysterious air to Agnes’s life. And, yes: the format is quite fun to watch, too.

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Matt Fagerholm

RogerEbert.com

Dec 2, 2022

3/4

Essential viewing.

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

Aug 16, 2023

2.5/4

The narrative switches between past and present, re-creation to reality, somewhat akin to Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce’s 2019 doc “Framing John Delorean” (2019), with Joynt being more on target and effective with the structure.

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M.X. Katyayani

OffColour.org

Jul 20, 2023

8/10

Having seen all the Trans 101 required material, I went into Framing Agnes expecting honesty, emotions and a dash of trauma. Still, nothing prepared me for what happened in the ensuing 75 mins.

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Feb 24, 2023

4.5/5

Expanding his 2018 short, filmmaker Chase Joynt deconstructs drama, documentary and pastiche in a way that's riveting and entertaining.

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Synopsis

The pseudonymous Agnes was a pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender health study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. Her clever use of the study to gain access to gender-affirming healthcare led to her status as a fascinating and celebrated figure in trans history. In this innovative cinematic exercise that blends fiction and nonfiction, director Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) uses Agnes's story, along with others unearthed in long-shelved case files, to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed. Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, an all-star cast of trans performers, artists, and thinkers -- including Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Mrs. Fletcher), and Zackary Drucker (Transparent) -- take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans history. This collective reclamation breaks down the myth of isolation among transgender history-makers, breathing new life into a lineage of collaborators and conspirators who have been forgotten for far too long.

Director: Chase Joynt
Producer: Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt
Screenwriter: Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page, Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Level Ground, Fae Pictures
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 2, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 31, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.1K
Runtime: 1h 15m

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